City on the verge of…………Well we don’t really know do we?

It was a strange feeling this season, bidding farewell to your fellow supporters for another year not knowing whether that’s it or if further adventures await. Obviously we know there’s another game but will there be another Wembley final? After yesterday I couldn’t say. Conventional wisdom would suggest with no lead to defend the Imps will be up against it as I’m sure they will be but, for my money, particularly in the second half, City looked as if they had plenty in their locker to hope they may yet make a game of it.

I don’t know whether it’s the fact we’re all seated and particularly now that, certainly where I sit everyone is a season ticket holder so it’s the same faces every game and you do get to know everyone around you. We go in a group of four but we know everyone we sit with now and all chat quite happily together but actually know virtually nothing about each other and never meet apart from at the game. Take the lady I sit next to, we chat quite animatedly about the game, much to my friends amusement and, in the case of yesterday when my wife accompanied me, bemusement. I was asked after the game had we scored whether my wife would get the hug or my neighbour. The truth of the matter is, particularly after a good goal I’ll hug anyone, male or female and frequently do.

Anyway, moving on but sort of staying on the same subject I met some very charming members of LISA, our new(ish) female supporters group last Saturday evening and a very entertaining experience it was. I came away from chatting to these women pondering on the future and whether the sea change we are now seeing at the club is actually replicated in the support. My fear and I guess yours is that one day the bubble will burst, the Cowleys will move on and the support will dwindle. After Saturday I’m not convinced that will happen. It seems that LISA members, if the ones I met are indicative, have discovered something new in their lives and they absolutely love it. It can’t be just the new female supporters I think and hope we all love it and will want to continue attending games come what may. So maybe things have changed forever. It would be nice to think that.

So back to the game and apparently according to Sky a battle between the forces of darkness or probably more accurately dark ages and the brave new dawn. That, in my view is so much baloney. Exeter were better in the first half, Lincoln in the second. I haven’t seen it but these lower league productions amuse me. The TV company assemble a team of “experts” to analyse the game but instead of the Champions League winners and seasoned top end performers you get for Premier League games there is a motley collection of has beens and never were’s anxious to prove what superstars they were in their day at City’s expense usually. The truth of the matter is they weren’t otherwise they would be pundits on the top shows wouldn’t they? All this long ball verses culture it really is the stupidest nonsense. Was Glenn Hoddle long ball, was Beckham? The acid test is, can you get the ball in the net? Yesterday the answer was no. Will that be the case on Thursday? I wouldn’t bet on it.